LAKEPORT — A judge set a March start date for the child sex abuse trial of a former Lake County deputy on Monday, but the man”s attorney told the court the defense would explore requesting a change of venue in the meantime.
Derik D. Navarro, 39, has pleaded not guilty to 16 felony counts related to alleged sexual acts against one girl – reportedly an ex-babysitter – more than five years ago.
The case against Navarro, who worked for the Lake County Sheriff”s Office from 2002 until a week before his arrest in April 2007, was scheduled for trial Dec. 7, but the former deputy accepted a plea deal that morning.
The agreement required Navarro to plead guilty to one count of unlawful sex with a person younger than 16 in exchange for up to four months in jail, formal probation and no sex-offender registration.
However, on Jan. 9 Lake County Superior Court Judge Andrew S. Blum denounced the proposed sentence and rejected the deal, despite it receiving support from the alleged victim.
Navarro appeared in Blum”s Lakeport courtroom Monday morning to set a new trial date.
The ex-deputy”s lawyer, Mitchell Hauptman, asked that the trial be pushed out at least 45 days because his expert needs time to complete an investigation into whether the defense should ask for a change of venue.
Prosecutor David Druliner, of the California Attorney General”s Office, told the court he wanted the proceedings to begin “as expeditiously as possible.” Blum set the jury trial for March 28 in Lake County.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him at 263-5636, ext. 37.
